Chartered Legal Executives are able to obtain independent practice rights through training and/or assessment as an alternative to the portfolio route. This training and/or assessment route is delivered by ULAW, in partnership with CILEx Regulation and is available for the following specialist areas:
- Reserved Instrument (Conveyancing) activities
- Probate activities
- Litigation & Advocacy for civil or family proceedings
To be eligible to undertake this route, a Chartered Legal Executive must have at least 5 years’ experience working in the legal sector.
More information on the options available are set out in the diagram below (and at the bottom of this page):
Please note that whatever route is taken, those who have applied for advocacy rights have to undertake an advocacy skills course (unless they have already undertaken an equivalent). Those who have been authorised with advocacy rights have to undergo a renewal process one year after authorisation, to demonstrate how they have used their advocacy rights.
Practice rights routes
Video introductions
The University of Law have produced a useful video presentation that helps to explain the new routes to Practice Rights: The Alternative Route to Advanced Practice Rights.
CRL Practice Rights webinars (in conjunction with CILEX)
Portfolio route
Assessment only
The assessment only option is available to Chartered Legal Executives who have at least 5 years’ experience of working in the legal sector of which 2 years’ experience was gained in the specialist area for which they are seeking independent practice rights. Individuals will have a 2-hour Skills assessment (a client interview conducted online, followed by online submission of a written piece of work) and a knowledge examination conducted online (45 Multiple Choice Questions in 90 minutes). Applicants will be provided with guidance and opportunity to test the assessment systems prior to the assessment period.
Fees for assessment only option: £650
To book onto an Assessment Only programme, please visit the ULaw website at: CILEx Regulation Independent Practice Rights Assessment
Training and Assessment route
Chartered Legal Executives who have at least 5 years’ experience working in the legal sector but do not have 2 years’ experience in the specialist area for which they are seeking independent practice rights must undertake the training AND assessment roue.
This provides the features of Assessment-Only, but in addition, access to a facilitated, tutor supervised module of study in the subject area that has 10 units of additional study material and work in it, a mock Skills assessment and five live subject sessions, delivered over 24 weeks. In effect, this is a six-month programme rather than the three months of Assessment-only. Individuals will have a 2-hour Skills assessment (a client interview conducted online, followed by online submission of a written piece of work) and a knowledge examination conducted online (45 Multiple Choice Questions in 90 minutes). Individuals are provided with guidance about and opportunity to test the assessment systems prior to the assessment period.
Fees for training and assessment option: £2,350
To book only a Training and Assessment programme, please visit the ULaw website at: CILEx Regulation Independent Practice Rights Training & Assessment from The University Of Law
Upon passing the ULAW course, applicants will need to send the Part 2 form and transcript to practicerights@cilexregulation.org.uk for us to proceed with obtaining their references and DBS.
Litigation and Advocacy Applicants ONLY
To gain litigation and advocacy practice rights, following completion of the ULaw programme, you will be required to undertake an advocacy skills course with a CRL approved training provider. At present, Barbri is the only approved provider for advocacy skills courses and we are liaising with Barbri to arrange advocacy courses for future dates.
Current costs are as follows:
- 2-day advocacy training and assessment for judges’ room advocacy (Civil and Family proceedings only) = £975
- 6-day advocacy training and assessment for open court advocacy rights (all types of proceedings) = £1725
Prior to undertaking the Advocacy Skills Course, you will need to complete a Certificate of Eligibility Application Form.
When submitting your completed Certificate of Eligibility Application Form, you will be required to attach the following supporting documentation:
- copy of ULaw transcript confirming successful completion of the programme
- A portfolio of 3 cases of advocacy you have participated in.
For more information on the Certificate of Eligibility and to access the application form, please visit the CRL website at Become a Chartered Legal Executive Advocate – CILEx Regulation.
General guidance notes
Note 1: Candidates book through the University of Law e-store.
CILEx Regulation Independent Practice Rights Training & Assessment from The University Of Law
CILEx Regulation Independent Practice Rights Assessment
For sponsored students, Please email Programme Admin ProgrammeAdmin@law.ac.uk
Following booking, candidates will be required to complete an additional step of Online Enrolment with the University (candidates will be sent a link to do this).
This Online Enrolment must be completed by candidates prior to the Start date otherwise candidates will not be able to commence studies for that period (e.g. September) and will need to start in a later period (e.g. January).
Accordingly, best practice is not to leave the e-store booking to the last date identified because the further step of Online Enrolment will still need to be completed before the Start date. Please book as early as possible.
Note 2: The Summative (final) Assessment has two components – a Skills component (an oral exercise followed by a written exercise) lasting 2 hours and a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) exam lasting 90 minutes. In an Assessment period, the Skills component will be individually scheduled for candidates for a 2 hour slot during that period; the MCQ exam will be on the last day of the relevant Assessment period, as identified above.
For example, for the December 2023 assessment, the 2 hour skills component was scheduled 4-13 December 2023, followed by the MCQ exam on 15 December 2023.
Any questions?
If you require any further information about the new assessment routes, please contact us at: practicerights@cilexregulation.org.uk and our team will be happy to assist.
